QUSHTAPA, Iraq (AP) — They fled Iran as children and now, living in Iraq as adults, they express guarded hope that the U.S.–Israeli war with Iran will weaken the theocracy that forced them into exile decades ago.

Behind that hope is the longing of Iranian Kurds in Iraq that they can someday return to homes they only remember through paintings on their walls and faded photographs.

But the thousands of Kurds know their aspirations for political autonomy and their historical opposition to Iran’s clerical rule have made that unlikely. They say they will only go back if a new Iranian government is installed, guarantees their safety and supports their goals.

Among them are more than 300 families of Kawa Camp in Irbil’s Qushtapa district in northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region. They were displaced after Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, which sparked a decades-long conflict with Kurdish separatists.

Many are descendants of those fighters. They fled as children with their families from the northern Iranian province of Kermanshah. Some joined the resistance in exile, carrying out attacks against security forces inside Iran. Most eke out a living on the margins of the Iraqi Kurdish society, where they lack citizenship and don’t have full civil rights, access to services or the ability to own property.

In Kawa Camp, their hope of returning is tempered by deep mistrust of foreign powers that have long exploited their cause for geopolitical ends. Many viewed recent reports that the Trump administration considered calling on them to support ground operations in Iran as the latest example.

“From 1979 until now, this has been our only hope — that the regime will fall. I’m watching the clock; if it falls now, I’ll return home the next second,” said a 57-year-old member of the Iranian Kurdish opposition party living in Kawa, who fled Iran at age 11.

The person, like most of those interviewed for this article, spoke on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal from Iran-backed Iraqi militias that have stepped up attacks on Iranian Kurdish bases. They also cite surveillance by Iranian intelligence, since many still have relatives in Iran.

A life of displacement for Iranian Kurds in Iraq

Iraqi Kurds govern a semiautonomous area in northern Iraq. Many have waged insurgency campaigns seeking to establish their own state, which they call Kurdistan. Iranian Kurds have a long history of grievances against the Islamic Republic and also the monarchy that preceded it.

In the Kawa home of community leader Jehangir Ahmadi hangs a painting of an alley in his native village in Iran’s Kurdish-majority Kermanshah province, which borders Iraq. He hasn’t seen the alley in nearly 50 years, and his childhood reels like an old film: He played among those sandy walls while village elders would chat beneath the poplars.

Ahmadi remembers the mad dash to leave home and the days spent waiting to cross the border. The family first lived in a camp close to the border before being moved to another, in the deserts of western Anbar province. Security rapidly deteriorated after the fall of Saddam Hussein following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, prompting the United Nations to rehouse them.

Over the years, tents gave way to permanent homes, markets sprang up, and the Iranian Kurds obtained the right to work, many as merchants, taxi drivers and factory workers. But buying a house or a car requires finding an Iraqi sponsor who must assume legal responsibility for them, effectively tying their fate to that sponsor, Ahmadi said.

“For all our lives in Iraq we were paying the price of leaving. Until now people look at us like we are slaves,” Ahmadi said. “Until now we don’t have good work, no good place to live.”

In his view, Kurds, and especially Iran’s Kurds, have historically been victims. There was the short-lived self-governing Republic of Mahabad in northwestern Iran, backed briefly by the Soviet Union before its fall in 1976; Iran withdrawing support in 1975 for a failed Kurdish uprising against Iraq; Iraq’s use of chemical weapons against the Kurds in 1988; territorial losses in northeast Syria after the fall of President Bashar Assad in December 2024.

So Ahmadi says he was skeptical of the reported U.S. request to back an Iranian Kurdish force in the current war.

“We didn’t trust that they will support us because we are wounded nation, we have been betrayed many times,” he said.

Kurdish groups have come under attack from Iran’s proxies

Armed Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in Iraq have come under attack from Iran’s proxies in Iraq since the Iran war started.

Commanders and Iraqi Kurdish political leaders say they lack the capacity to mount a genuine ground offensive without U.S. air cover, and that the idea floated by the United States was never seriously discussed with Washington.

A senior Iraqi Kurdish official said that some Iranian Kurdish groups initially hoped for a swift collapse of Iran’s theocracy and envisioned storming into Iranian Kurdish territory to declare victory. Other Iraqi Kurdish leaders, seeing the administration in Tehran as more resilient, warned them bluntly: “You will be massacred,” according to the official.

Unit commander Rebaz Sharifi hid in a mountainside crevice when a drone launched by Iran-backed militias struck a base of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, waiting for further strikes to pass. The party is an Iranian-Kurdish nationalist separatist group known by the local abbreviation PAK.

Sharifi said there are roughly 8,000 to 10,000 Iranian Kurdish fighters — a figure corroborated by two other Iraqi Kurdish officials. Beyond basic assault rifles, they lack sophisticated modern weaponry and do not possess drones, a crucial capability in modern warfare.

He said Iranian-Kurdish groups are asking for security guarantees, especially air cover, to counter Iranian missiles and drones.

“We don’t want to go now because we know we will die because of (Iranian) airstrikes and missiles,” he said. “It’s not the right time for this because Iranian forces still have power to control the skies.”

At the mere possibility that the groups might be mobilizing for deployment, Iran-backed groups in Iraq launched a near-daily volley of air attacks.

“So, imagine what they will do if we move there now,” Sharifi said.

Kawa Camp residents face threats from all sides

The threat of continued attacks drove Kurdish fighters to move their families out of military camps and into nearby communities seeking safety.

In Kawa, a local resident affiliated with the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan is sheltering the wife and children of a fighter from the party’s armed wing. They moved from the party’s camp in Koya, near the border, because of constant attacks in the first days of the war.

The militia drone attacks haven’t targeted civilian communities so far, but the party member fears that might change as the war progresses.

“Every day we are afraid of the militias,” he said. “We are nervous at night because we think they might hit here also.”

And he fears Iran’s intelligence working in the area.

“My relatives in Iran told me that they know where I work, what I do, and where I live,” he said.

The residents from Hazelgrove Court Care Home in Saltburn, have taken part in an intergenerational project as part of The Together Project’s Crafting Connections.

As part of the scheme, residents were encouraged to write short stories for their young Crafting Connections friends.

Eight-year-old Iris Sutherland with a story written by her Crafting Connections friend Joyce Tibbett, 92, a resident at Hazelgrove Court Care Home (Image: Supplied)

Sharon Lewis, the care home’s activities co-ordinator, said: “Our residents came up with some amazing stories, so we decided to have them made into a book.

“They are very excited about seeing their stories in print and we are going to send a copy to each one of their Crafting Connections friends as a gift.”

The stories were so well received that Ms Lewis arranged to have them printed as a professionally bound book titled “Our Stories for our Crafting Connections Friends.”

Sheila O’Neill, 85, with the book of children’s stories written by residents at Hazelgrove Court Care Home. (Image: Supplied)

Among them is The Panda That Asked Why, written by 92-year-old Joyce Tibbett.

Mrs Tibbett said: “I wanted to write a story about a panda as I know this is Iris, my Crafting Connections friend’s, favourite animal.”

Ninety-five-year-old Joyce Baxtrem based her story on her young partner.

Joyce Tibbett, 92, a resident at Hazelgrove Court Care Home. (Image: Supplied)

She said: “Sam has been my friend for a long time, and he is like a superhero to me, cheering me up every month, so I wrote about a superhero called Sam.”

Other stories include The Frog Who Wanted To Sing, written by 94-year-old Ellen Else.

She said: “I love to sing, so wanted to write a story about singing, so wrote the frog who wanted to sing.”

– Ellen Else, 94, showing her story, The Frog Who Wanted To Sing, published in a book of children’s tales written by residents at Hazelgrove Court Care Home. (Image: Supplied)

One of those friends is eight-year-old Iris Sutherland, who received Joyce Tibbett’s panda story.

She said: “I really like the story that Joyce sent me because my favourite animal is a panda and it keeps asking questions – it was a funny story.”

Iris’ mum, Alex Sutherland, who works for The Together Project, said: “The thing they loved about the story was that the panda was just like Iris – always asking questions and looking at the world in a funny way.”

Hazelgrove Court Care Home plans to continue taking part in Crafting Connections, with residents already discussing ideas for future projects.

As we approach longer days and warmer weather, now’s a good time to look for the best rattan garden furniture. You’ll want garden chairs on the patio, the barbecue going and a bottle of rosé chilling in an ice bucket.

Former Telegraph gardening writer Cinead McTernan is a rattan enthusiast. “My modular corner sofa has absolutely transformed how much we use our outdoor space,” she says. “I go for synthetic polyethylene rattan because it’s so light and easy to look after. A quick blast with a pressure washer at the start of the season and you’re ready to go.”

As McTernan suggests, synthetic rattan garden furniture is a good choice because it’s usually more waterproof and sold with a long warranty. McTernan bought her set from Sweeek but there are great selections at Maze and Outsunny among others, ranging from under £300 to over £2,000. You can find our full reviews of the best rattan garden furniture below, followed by answers to frequently asked questions. But if you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick look at our top five:

The best rattan garden furniture: At a glance

What makes good rattan furniture?

There’s an assumption that natural rattan is superior, McTernan says, but it’s not weatherproof and is only suitable for sunny days: “Natural rattan does look more beautiful, but isn’t as hard wearing and fades in the sunlight.”

PE rattan (polyethylene – also known as synthetic rattan or polyrattan) can shrug off rain, snow and, as long as you give it an occasional light scrub with soapy water, mould and algae.

“The properties of the polymer PE are in between a plastic and a wax,” says Peter Bridgman, founder of Bridgman furniture store, which specialises in rattan furniture. “That gives it a very natural look and feel. It doesn’t look plasticky and it also has no toxins.” For more detail, read the FAQs at the end of this feature.

How we chose the best rattan furniture

The experts, including McTernan, The Telegraph’s own gardening writer of more than 10 years, were our guide to the quality and durability of rattan furniture, but we also took into consideration affordability, style and a range of uses from sun lounging to outdoor entertaining. All the furniture below is chosen from the respective retailers’ most popular products, at a range of budgets.

Remember to check out our guides to the best patio heaters and fire pits, too. That way you can enjoy outdoor seating all year round.

The best rattan garden furniture of 2026

Scarborough will host this year’s Armed Forces Day on Saturday, June 27, with the free free public event featuring a full day of parades, air displays, live music and family activities.

It is hosted by North Yorkshire Council as part of its commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant.

Armed Forces Day in Scarborough is really special for military veteran David “Johnny” Purvis (Image: Supplied)

David Purvis, known as Johnny, is a former sergeant with the Green Howards and the Military Provost Guard Service who lives in Scarborough.

Mr Purvis said: “Armed Forces Day in Scarborough is something really special and the atmosphere is always fantastic.

“The seafront becomes a sea of colour and energy, with families lining the streets and people of all ages gathering to watch the parade.

“Standing alongside fellow veterans, supporting the community stalls and marching in the parade is a powerful reminder that events like this bring the Armed Forces and the public together, strengthening that bond of respect and understanding.”

Mr Purvis joined the British Army in 1983 and became part of the 1st Battalion, The Green Howards the following year.

Scarborough will host Armed Forces Day on Saturday, which will see spectacular air displays alongside colourful parades, musical performances and family activities (Image: John Westgarth)

He completed operational tours in Northern Ireland, including postings in West Belfast and Londonderry, and spent two years in Northern Ireland during the period of ongoing security operations.

He later worked with the King’s Division Recruiting Team, helping to guide new recruits into the Army.

He described the pride he feels during the event’s dramatic aerial displays.

Mr Purvis said: “When the aircraft come over the bay and the crowds look up together, it creates a real sense of pride and excitement that you don’t easily forget.”

This year’s full air display programme and additional attractions will be announced in the coming weeks.

The event will include the traditional parade of veterans, standard bearers and cadets—among them, the iconic Chelsea pensioners.

On display will be a Jackal military vehicle equipped with a deactivated machine gun, which will lead the parade.

Army Cadets will be leading the flag-raising ceremony at Scarborough Town Hall on Monday, June 22 to mark the official opening of the event.

Councillor Carl Les, leader of North Yorkshire Council, said: “Scarborough Armed Forces Day is more than an event – it’s a show of unity, pride and community spirit.

“The event is one of hundreds held across the country on this day to show our support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community to selflessly and bravely serve our country, from the troops currently serving to service families, veterans and cadets.

“As the countdown begins, together we thank and celebrate all who serve or have served.”

North Yorkshire is home to more than 12,000 Ministry of Defence personnel and 3,000 children from service families.

The county also supports a wide network of barracks and military infrastructure, including Catterick Garrison, one of the largest in the UK.

Councillor Kevin Foster, North Yorkshire Council’s Armed Forces champion, said: “Scarborough Armed Forces Day is one of the biggest and most popular annual events in Yorkshire.

“The breath-taking air displays are, for many spectators, the main highlight of the day and this year’s line-up will be no exception.

“I am proud of Scarborough’s involvement in the annual day, which is an opportunity to celebrate the contribution and sacrifice of the Armed Forces present and past.”

The event is being sponsored for the second year by Skipton Building Society.

David Travis, group secretary and general counsel at Skipton, said: “We look forward to being part of this important annual event for the town and sharing it with the people of Scarborough and thousands of visitors.”

Further information about this year’s event is available at www.scarborougharmedforcesday.co.uk.